Saint Joseph Catholic Church

cna

cna

cna

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Athanasius (295-373), Bishop of Alexandria and a great defender of the orthodox faith, throughout his life opposed the Arian heresy. By denying the Godhead of the Word the Arians turned Christ into a mere man, only higher in grace than others in the eyes of God. St. Athanasius took part in the Council of Nicea in 325 and until the end remained a champion of the faith as it was defined by the Council. In him the Church venerates one of her great Doctors. He was subjected to persecutions for upholding the true teaching concerning the person of Christ and was sent into exile from his see no less than five times. He died at Alexandria in 373 after an episcopate of forty-six years.

Islamist terrorists burned down a church in Meza, a town in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.

A brutal Islamist insurgency began in Cabo Delgado province in 2017. ACI Africa reported that “at least 117 churches and chapels had been destroyed in the Diocese of Pemba, including 23 in 2025 alone.”

The Archdiocese of New York proposed an $800-million settlement with some 1,300 plaintiffs who allege that they were sexually abused by clergy when they were minors.

“Although much work remains to be done before a settlement can be finalized and consummated, I am cautiously optimistic about the path we are on,” Archbishop Ronald Hicks said in a May 1 statement.

Israeli police arrested a man who pushed over and attacked a French religious sister in Jerusalem. The sister is a researcher at the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research.

“This is not an isolated incident, but part of a troubling pattern of growing hostility toward the Christian community and its symbols,” the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said in a statement.

A heritage preservation organization, Sites et Monuments, filed a legal appeal with the Paris Administrative Court to prevent the replacement of historic stained-glass windows in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame with contemporary designs.

“The plan to replace these windows with contemporary creations by French artist Claire Tabouret—unveiled to the public at the Grand Palais late last year—has drawn unusually broad opposition over the past two years, from heritage experts to Catholic figures,” the National Catholic Register reported. Archbishop Laurent Ulrich supports the contemporary design.

A Vatican diplomat expressed concern about the incorporation of AI into nuclear weapons systems.

Addressing a UN discussion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968), Msgr. Robert D. Murphy, Chargé d’Affaires of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, said:

Integrating advanced systems, including artificial intelligence, into nuclear decision-making processes introduces new layers of complexity, reducing the time available for deliberation and increasing the risk of miscalculation. At the same time, the opacity of such systems may obscure the basis on which critical assessments are made, thereby undermining the conditions necessary for clear and accountable human judgement.

Decisions of such gravity must be firmly rooted in human responsibility; otherwise, instability and ethical concerns will worsen. Bearing this in mind, progress in disarmament must not be delayed and requires a renewed commitment to concrete, mutually reinforcing steps.

The Vatican’s Supervisory and Financial Information Authority reported that it received 78 reports of suspicious financial activity in 2025—up from 43 the year before.

“Although the watchdog announced last year that it received 79 suspicious activity reports in 2024, the new report revised the 2024 figure downward to 43,” The Pillar reported. “It is not unusual for annual compliance reports to make retrospective adjustments of figures.”